President Trump and Colombia's president have escalated the tone of their exchange, further raising strains between the two countries following US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs drug factories and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.
Escalating Tensions and Claims
Speaking to the press over the weekend, Trump hinted at similar armed intervention against Colombia, claiming the nation is “very sick too” and led by a problematic figure involved in producing narcotics and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the leading source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way tied to the trade.
A Frayed Relationship
This nation was historically a key ally of Washington in the fight combating drug cartels and enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington, however, the relationship have worsened dramatically since Trump assumed the presidency.
Its illicit drug economy is predominantly run by criminal organizations including the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded following a historic peace agreement.
The President's Firm Response
When asked whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, rejected the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote online.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will become thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a large part of the population loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to President
He passed a period in his early life as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization although reports indicate that he never participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in drafting a new constitution in 1991 and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged not to touch arms again ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that Petro's security detail had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump's stance, but voices spanning Colombian politics have rejected the notion of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
The US withdrew Petro’s visa subsequent to he called on American soldiers to ignore unlawful commands. In October, authorities imposed financial sanctions on Petro, the first lady and a number of close collaborators.
Simultaneously the US was building up its forces in the region and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed attacks against vessels in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
